Top 12 Girls!

Kristy Lee Cook - Likable, and competent, and an animal lover. What's not to like? Good but not great. I'm glad Paula brought out the fact that she has bronchitis. Simon is still colored black. Maybe he's just committed to equal opportunity slamming of the girls as well as the guys.

Joanne Borgella - Her voice was well controlled, but wasn't big enough to wrap around this song.

Alaina Whitaker - Hard to believe she's only seventeen, the way she's decked out tonight. The first part feels a bit too slow, and pitchy, but she certainly brings it when it goes to high gear. Her precision and power definitely bring on some chills, but I'm not sure if she can handle slow tunes adequately to make it to the top. Best yet tonight, though, and I can easily see another Jordin Sparks in her.

Amanda Overmyer - If she does Joplin (Janis, not Scott), I'll be disappointed but not surprised. She's got talent, but a voice which is only good for a narrow range of songs, so I'm actually surprised she got this far, but maybe she'll surprise me. Oh good - no Joplin. Her performance is good, but the song doesn't really offer a good showcase for vocal skillz. She passes muster with the judges, but so far is not singing the kind of music I personally like, and I think her style will only appeal to a smaller proportion of fans. She'll stay around for awhile, but eventually be surpassed by contestants with a broader appeal, like Alaina. So says I.

Amy Davis - Badly pitchy. Randy agrees. Paula deflects, but agrees. Simon drives the stake into her chest.

Brooke White - I love this girl's smile and eyes, so I'll try my best to be objective and not be hypnotized. Slightly shaky start. Another well controlled voice but, as with Joanne, not quite big enough to wrap around the song. If Simon's "niceness" equates to lacking the slightly angry edge it might take to give her the power to really "slay" this song, as Randy called it, then Simon might just have a point.

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Now my stomach is growling and I'm ticked off at my muse for sucking me into this instead of cooking. : (

Now I realize why I had pizza so often on AI nights.
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Alexandrea Lushinton - I completely agreed with Simon (what?) on this one. She had good presence and moves, but I didn't think the vocal artifacts she threw in worked. I don't agree with Randy and Paula that she nailed it, and it was kind of cabaret for me, as Simon said. Still, she's got a very appealing personality and good looks, so those may carry her further than I'm inclined to think she rates, or she may grow into it.

Kady Malloy - I really wanted her to nail this, but she was unhappily pitchy in spots. Randy says it well. It was constrained, and she never really kicked it into gear.

Asia'h Epperson - She DID have a big enough voice for this Joplin joint, and gave it her own twists. Very enjoyable. Even Simon agreed. Kudos!

Ramielle Malubay - Another song requiring a big voice. She handles it well in low gear and keeps it together when she kicks it up. I think she could have taken it up yet another notch, but it was good the way it was. Randy says precisely the same thing. I may agree with Simon's "best of the night," so far.

Syesha Mercado - I'm looking forward to hearing this girl sing without any hoarseness going on. Her song choice is unusual (Tobacco Road), but she handles it very well. She's definitely a contender.

Carly Smithson - I'd hate to be last tonight. Good luck, Carly. Ohmigod. She picks one of my favorite songs of all time, The Shadow of Your Smile, and sings it like my soul knows it - major chills. One or two tiny pitch problems, but very, very well done, overall. Randy totally agrees, as does Paula. Simon's on his own on this one.

Favorites: Carly, Syesha, Ramielle, Asia'h, and Alaina, in no particular order.

Going home: Amy